Kamil Gadzhiev, the head of the Fight Nights Global promotion company explained why people from the central part of Russia can root for Conor McGregor in a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"I think the Americans will support mainly for Khabib. I'm not sure that everyone there supports the way of Conor’s life. He lives too frankly, like a rich man. America cannot support this. Europe, of course, will be for Conor, the entire North Caucasus - for Khabib. But in the central part of Russia, I believe, many will prefer McGregor in this battle.
“That is, a person who lives, for example, in St. Petersburg can root for Conor, as many Conor has brought to the MMA. They discovered this sport because of him. And they will be rooting for him. In the confrontation of Khabib with any other fighter, perhaps they would have supported Khabib. He's a compatriot. But Conor has the scale of a world man. He is a hero for everyone," Gadzhiev said.
The battle between Nurmagomedov and McGregor will be on October 6 in Las Vegas and will headline the UFC 229 tournament.